


Family is More than Blood

by QAI521



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Kane Chronicles - Rick Riordan
Genre: Crossover, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-09-24 06:56:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20354260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QAI521/pseuds/QAI521
Summary: Percy is used to dealing with a labyrinthian tangle of a family with half-brothers, man-eating monsters, and evil grandfathers. Compared to that, the possibility of having a pair of siblings on his mortal side of the family is positively mundane.Besides, it's not like the Kane siblings could get into more trouble than him....right?





	1. Dinner Date

**Author's Note:**

> Post-Battle of the Labyrinth
> 
> Pre-The Red Pyramid

Percy Jackson liked to think that he was pretty good at rolling with surprises. After learning that your absent father was actually a Greek god, you were a demigod, monsters were real, and the fate of the world semi-regularly rested on your shoulders, dealing with the unexpected was practically a job requirement.

But he would be lying if he hadn’t found Mom’s news a little surprising.

“You have a date?”

It wasn’t as if he thought she _couldn’t_ get a date, she was easily one of the most amazing people that he knew, and no, he wasn’t saying that because he was her son.

…well okay, maybe a little bit.

But he had assumed that after his own father and…Gabe that she would be done with having someone else in her life. He wouldn't have been surprised if she had given up, though apparently, she was made of even sterner stuff than he had thought, and he had already thought she was pretty tough.

"Yes," his mother said with a smile, a happy twinkle entering her gaze. She looked so much more alive than she had been during her time with Gabe, and it only made him hate the man even more. In some of his darkest musings, he wondered what fresh hell he was being put through in the Underworld right now. But right now, his mom looked so happy that he couldn't bring himself to care about Gabe. The man was dead and done, and it looked like his mom had another chance at romance. "We've been going out for a few weeks. I wanted to tell you, but you were at camp so much, and I wanted to wait until I was sure we could make this work.”

“When did you meet?” He asked, a little sad that he hadn’t even noticed that his mother had started dating again. Though he supposed in his defense, dealing with the whole Titan army trying to sneak into the Camp and murder everyone had been a little distracting.

"He was giving a lecture at my university, and I was intrigued. Egypt didn’t have much to do with my writing, but I thought I would give it a try. We happened to meet after he was done and one thing led to another," she said with a small shrug, the smile never once faltering. Percy felt a weight release itself from his shoulders a little. After everything that he had put his poor mother through these last couple of years, she deserved some happiness of her own.

That didn't mean that he didn't have reservations about this. As far as he was concerned, Mom deserved the best and if this guy turned out to be a sleazebag, then he would kick him out. He wasn't going to let her be saddled up with another Stinky Gabe again. He would give him a chance, but this dude was going to be on his watch list for a while. Hopefully, he wasn't a monster that had managed to play the long con and disguise itself.

It would really suck if he had to kill his mom’s date.

“I know this might seem sudden for you, but I really want you two to have a chance to meet each other," She said with such a hopeful smile that Percy couldn't help but flinch a little. He knew how much shit his mother had to put up with over the years thanks to him. Even beyond dealing with Stinky Gabe for a chance to keep him hidden from the monsters that preyed on demigods, she had to live with the fact that her only son was constantly sent on death-defying adventures and that there was a _strong_ possibility that he wouldn’t be coming back. Hell, he had shown up late to his own funeral. She had to put up with so much and know that there was really no way for her to assist him. At least he had the opportunity to punch monsters in the face when they tried to kill him.

This was her one chance of having something for herself in this mad world.

“It’s alright, I’m glad that I’ll be able to meet him. Do you need any help?” He asked, somewhat belatedly realized that he had just been standing there for the past five minutes while his Mom kept on working, moving in and out of the kitchen and dining room with practiced ease.

“Thank you, sweetie,” she beamed. “I’d be great if you could set the table while I finish this.”

Percy didn’t need any more prompting than that. Fortunately, he managed to set everything up without breaking anything which felt like an achievement in of itself when he finally noticed something odd about the place settings on the table.

Specifically, why there were four of them instead of three.

“What’s with the extra plate?” He asked as she came back into the dining room, a steaming pan of casserole in her hands. The young demigod could feel his stomach grumble at the sight of it, he had been forced to skip lunch because of a stray hellhound. How it had managed to squeeze through the school doors with as big as it had been, he had no idea. It had almost been rather comical, watching a murderous canine shift forward in a crouching position as it tore up the ceiling with every step.

“His son is going to be joining us. I know you don’t get to talk to many kids around your age outside of…everything,” she said, and Percy gave her a nod in agreement. The number of friends he had managed to collect outside of Camp could be numbered on his hand, and most of them were more school acquaintances than anything else. “Plus, I think it would be good for his son too. He's a widower, and I don’t think they’ve had much of a chance to settle down anywhere before.”

“Is he…”

“No, he doesn’t have ADHD or dyslexia, I already asked.”

Percy nodded, remaining silent as he processed the information. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was supposed to say to something like that. On one level he understood what it was like to have an absent parent, but he had never had to experience the feeling of _knowing_ there were dead. Even before he had learned the truth, his mother had assured him that his father was alive, just away. How much worse was it for this kid in that knowing that your other parent was dead and done and there was nothing you could do to change it?

"I'm hoping that the three of you will have a chance to get to know each other, so please try to avoid flooding the building today," she said with an amused smirk even as he felt a flush run up his cheeks. The manager of the building hadn't been as nearly entertained as she had been, but it wasn't like he had much choice trying to avoid being turned into an overgrown snake’s breakfast.

“I’ll do my best,” Percy said with a small smile even as he felt his stomach roll. Deep down, they both knew that if push came to shove, that was a promise he wouldn’t be able to keep.

No matter how much he wanted to.

Despite that, she gave him a tight hug, a broad smile brimming across her face as she pulled back. "Thank you. Now why don't you come and help me finish this, Julius and Carter are going to be here soon, and I want everything to be perfect."

\---

“We’re here.”

Such innocuous words, yet they ran in Carter’s skull like a death knell.

The young boy could feel the thin thread of resentment that had been present ever since his father had told him of his romantic endeavors coil itself around his gut as the car came to a full stop. He did his best to avoid his glancing towards his father and revealing his true feelings on the matter, but apparently, it wasn't enough.

“Carter…I understand this is going to be difficult for you.”

_You’re abandoning Mom, did you think it would be easy?_ He snarled inside his head. He could feel his jaw twitch as he resisted the urge to snap at him out loud. Carter knew that he usually wasn’t this way but finding out that your father was dating another woman to replace your dead mother wasn't a discovery that was very conducive to one's emotional state. “I’m fine Dad. I…I just want to get this over with.”

His father’s expression turned contemplative for a moment, his gaze flickering between him and the door. With a sigh, he turned back towards him and kneeled, bringing his impressive bulk down to meet his eyes. The young boy met his father’s gaze as his hand rested on his shoulder, and when he spoke, it was soft, softer than one might have thought it could be. “Carter, I want you to know that if you feel uncomfortable, we can leave. If you truly think that you can’t get through this, you can tell me right now.”

“I…” Why was he hesitating?

He could say yes, and then they would be done, they could get back in the car and leave. With how much his father traveled it was unlikely they would ever see Sally again unless they sought her out. Everything could go back to the way it was, and Mom's memory wouldn't be desecrated anymore.

So why hadn’t he?

_Why ask a question you already know the answer for?_

Because as much as he hated this, as much as he wanted to scream and rage…

…it had been a long time since he had seen his father this happy.

The only time he had seen him smile so much was either when they were visiting Sadie…or when he was in a photo with Mom.

He couldn’t take this from him.

Not when he had so little left.

The anger evaporated like a fine mist, leaving behind a lethetic acceptance. He still wasn't happy about this, but he wasn't going to try and ruin it for his father. Besides, getting worked up and emotional was Sadie’s thing, not his. Who was he kidding? He probably wouldn’t be able to have even managed to glare at his father’s date even if he wanted to. “I’m fine.”

He could deal with a few hours of prickly uncomfortableness for his father’s sake.

And everything after that…well, one step at a time he supposed. It wasn’t as if it was guaranteed that everything would work out in the end.

“Thank you,” his father said, his face curling into a small smile even as they approached the door. As they knocked on the door, Carter could hear the sound of feet against the floor as someone approached from the inside. The young teen braced himself for the first interaction with his father's date…

…only to find a boy a few years older than him swinging the door open.

“Hello, you must be Percy,” his father said, holding his hand out for the other teenager to take. Something akin to a flicker of surprise passed over his father's face as they exchanged their handshake, but it was deftly hidden behind a charming grin. "Sally's told me a lot about you."

“Just the good things I hope?" The teenager asked his mouth curling into a smile. Carter quickly found himself rounded in the teenager’s gaze; his hand held out to shake. “Carter, right?”

“Yeah,” Carter mumbled as he took the hand, only to keep himself from being floor about just how strong it was. It felt like he had put his grip into a vice and the guy didn’t even look like he was trying. Even with his loose t-shit, Carter could see the telltale hints of muscle underneath, the way his arms were tight and toned in a way that would have been certain to have Sadie drooling. A flash of jealousy passed through him as just how good he looked in comparison to him. He looked like someone had carved a statue of a Greek god into a teenager and called it a day. The only imperfection he could find was a small streak of white hair that had to be to dyed for whatever bizarre reason.

_So unfair._

“Well, there was a certain story about a cannon,” his father said, his eyes sparkling with amusement. Embarrassment flickered over the other teen’s face, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. He mumbled something, but the only thing Carter could make out was something about that it wasn’t his fault it had been loaded?

_What?_

“Julius!”

Carter’s confusion was put on a backburner as his father’s date appeared in the doorway, a broad smile adorning her expression. Wavy brown hair rolled down her shoulders, her crystal blue eyes sparkling with excitement as she moved to greet his father, giving him a light peck on the cheek. He turned his head away, not particularly comfortable about witnessing his father’s personal moment, though from the corner of his eye he could see Percy doing the same, so maybe he wasn’t so alone in this boat as he thought he was.

“And Carter, it’s so nice to finally meet you!” Carter blinked as he suddenly found himself face to face with the woman’s beaming expression. As she started talking about all of the things that his father had been saying about him (_some of which were rather embarrassing_) Carter couldn’t bring himself to be angry at her. She just seemed to radiate motherly affection as if it were second nature.

His chest throbbed at the reminder of how long it had been since he had felt something like this, and the cold grip of guilt latched onto the base of his skull at the realization that accepting that would mean turning Mom’s memory away.

“Oh, what am I doing? Come in, come in,” she said as she waved them inside, Percy standing aside as they made for the doorway. “I hope you both like casserole…”

\----

Carter reminded him of Annabeth.

Except for the part where he wasn’t blonde…

…and wasn’t a girl…or a demigod…

…okay, maybe he wasn’t as similar to Annabeth as he first thought. But he had the same intense focus in his eyes as she always did, the kind that came from a desire to learn more and be smarter. But quite frankly he didn’t seem to have much going for him the way of confidence, he kept to himself mostly throughout the dinner, only offering occasional commentary or answering questions.

“So, what do you like to do?” Percy asked. It was a rather simple question, but the kid startled as though he had just been thrown up on a stage.

“I…uh, I do a lot of reading, I guess. We don’t get a lot of free time with how much traveling we do.” He paused for a minute as though he was mentally debating adding any more. “What about you?”

“I’m a camp counselor." The demigod did feel a little sorry about the fact that his answer wasn't entirely truthful, but it wasn’t technically a lie. The fact that there was nobody in his cabin except for him was irrelevant in terms of his job as a camp counselor.

“Oh? What kind of camp?” Carter asked, an interested look passing over his face. It was the first time that he had seen the kid actually engaged in the conversation, and it made him feel pretty good that he was the one that had managed to bring him out.

“Kids with disabilities mostly. We’re teaching them how to survive in the real world.” Once again, technically not a lie if you stretched the truth out to a ridiculous degree. But hey, it wasn’t as if he could just up and say ‘oh yeah, I’m a demigod’ without being thrown in a loony bin.

Something passed over Carter’s face too quickly to make out. “Are you, uh…?”

"ADHD and dyslexia," he said with a nod of his head. It was different since he knew that they weren't actually disabilities, just part of the whole demigod package, but given how people normally danced around the issue, talking about it so openly must have made it seem a bit awkward. “It’s a lot easier to understand their problems when you’ve been through it yourself, you know?”

“…I’ve never been to a camp before.”

“Uh, they’re pretty strict about who they let in,” Percy said, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to think of some way to defuse the situation without making the kid feel like he was snubbing him off. "I could ask, but if you don't meet the qualifications, then you're really not allowed on site."

Once again, technically not a lie.

“Oh.” Carter looked rather disappointed, but thankfully he didn’t seem to be upset or slighted at the refusal. “That’s cool that you can do that though.”

“It’s not without drawbacks, you wouldn’t believe some of the messes we’ve gotten into.” Most of which involved various monsters trying to turn them into an afternoon snack, but he didn’t need to know that, and he didn’t want to talk about it.

“Sounds like my sister,” the younger boy said, a slight smile emerging.

Percy blinked. “You have a sister?”

“Yeah, she lives with our maternal grandparents in England. We only get to visit her twice a year,” he said, his gaze downcast and his tone low, his eyebrows furrowed together in frustration.

“I, uh, imagine that must be rough.”

“You could say that,” Carter said, something undecipherable coating the tone of his words. Percy’s jaw clicked together, internally cursing himself for having stepped on what was apparently a touchy subject for the younger boy. He was supposed to be making him feel more comfortable, not less! “We don’t get too many chances to talk, and we’re just so different from each other when we do meet it’s like talking to a stranger. Sometimes I'm nervous that’s how we're going to end up like that.”

Well, it wasn't the headache-inducing labyrinth of his own family tree, but it sounded like Carter had some serious family issues.

“I’m kind of like that with my cousins. We’re just too different from each other to get along that much.”

“Cousins?”

“Yeah, two of them from my father’s side of the family. Thalia and I can barely go five minutes without getting into a spat and Nico…Nico has a been through a lot," the young demigod hissed out through his clenched teeth, his hand gripping his fork so hard that he could feel the metal starting to bend. Regardless of what anyone said, Bianca’s death was on his shoulders. He could have been a little faster or taken or place or…

“Percy?”

Carter’s question voice brought him out of his train of thought, grounding him in the moment. He caught a concerned glance from Mom, but he gave her a subtle shake of the head. He wasn’t going to ruing this evening because he couldn’t keep himself focused. “Sorry about that, something I get lost in thought.”

“You—you’re sure?” The younger boy asked, a concerned expression written across his face.

“I'm good," he said with a smile that he didn't quite feel. "Anyway, I was saying, we get into a lot of spats, and we're all pretty different from each other, but we're still family, and that counts for something. I’m sure whatever happens you and your sister will have each other’s backs.”

“…thanks.”

“Don’t ment…”

The demigod trailed off as he caught a flash of movement in the window behind the adults, the knot in his stomach curling up with an equal mixture of exasperation, fear, and anger.

_Dammit, and I was doing so well…_

\----

When Percy trailed off, Carter was confused. That confusion was only amplified at the scowl that morphed across the older teen's face, so fierce that for a single moment he quakes in his shoes. It was the kind of scowl that he had seen from the likes of hardened criminals before during their visits to more _unsavory_ places. The scowl was quickly hidden behind an expressionless look, though hints of his still peaked through.

Though what was oddest of all was that he could feel Dad tense as well, his mouth twisting into a thin frown, the kind he got whenever something serious was going down.

“Uh, excuse me for a minute,” He said as he pulled himself up and moved towards the back rooms at a blistering speed. Carter barely had time to blink before the teenager was gone. He turned his head towards the window that he had been staring at, but all he saw were a flock of birds staring through the window. Though when he looked a little closer, he swore he could see their bodies shimmer, flashes of gold and metal peeking through blackened feathers and beady eyes.

“Mom! Something’s come up at Camp, I’ll be back as soon as I can!" Percy's voice echoed through the apartment, the sound of the door opening slamming closed quickly following behind. The flock of birds moved as one as if startled by the noise, flapping their wings and letting out ungodly screeches as they took flight.

_What the heck was that?_

“I’m sorry about that, being a camp counselor is very demanding, it's a year-round camp, and they don't have that many people working it right now. I'm sure once he sorts everything out, he'll be right back," Sally said with a slight smile. His father seemed to nod, though there was a curious glint in his gaze that he couldn't quite decipher. And for all that she appeared to claim that this was normal, Sally's own expression had a taken a somewhat pained and pale expression, as if she were absolutely terrified of something.

The adults carried on with their conversation, though he kept his thoughts to himself. For all that he had come here ready to hate this family for taking his Mom’s memory from him, they did seem like pretty nice people. He still wasn’t sure what to think about them being more than just friendly acquaintances though.

As the dinner wound down and his father said his goodbyes (_Percy was still a no-show_), he said as much to his father as they got back into their car.

“I know this transition is going to be difficult for you, but to be honest Carter, Sally and I don’t even know If we’re going to down that path. All I’m asking you is to be friendly with them. If we do start considering that you and I can have a long conversation about it. I want you to be happy in this relationship too,” he said as they pulled away from the curb.

“I know,” Carter said. “They seemed nice, though that whole disappearing act was weird.”

He hadn't even heard a phone ring; how could he have known that something was wrong at this camp of his? And why on earth did a flock of birds piss him off enough to warrant a glare that wouldn't have looked out of place on hardened criminals?

"Yes, it was curious," his father mused, his lips pursed in thought.

“…you know something?”

“I have…inklings. Nothing that should concern you, and certainly not something that should be shared until I’ve confirmed it, and not until I've spoken to Sally and Percy first. Please don't pry into this Carter. I think the best thing you could do right now is trying to be a good friend for Percy, if I'm right then, he could really use it."

“Okayyyyy,” he trailed off, not entirely sure what he was supposed to make of that. Did Dad think that Percy was in some sort of gang or something? He didn’t seem the type, but he had seen weirder things before.

_I mean, it's not like Dad would let me hang out with him if he thought that he was dangerous…_

_… right?_

\----


	2. Letters

Carter’s second meeting with Percy Jackson was entirely coincidental.

His father had been asked to give another lecture at the university, which meant meetings with department heads about the logistics and a bunch of other stuff that even he could admit that he found monotonous. He had been forced to sit through them when he had been younger, but now that he was a little older, he was trusted to wander away from his father, so long as he stayed within the same building.

As luck would have it, the meeting was taking place in the library, which meant he had a considerable assortment of books that he could spend his time reading through. Sadie probably would have called him a nerd, but it was her loss if she couldn't see the value in knowledge. Usually, he would have just read whatever caught his eye first, but Dad had been assigning him additional work, mostly surrounding research about Greek Mythology.

He hadn't explained why, only that it would be necessary for the future. Which didn't make much sense, it was as if—

“Carter?”

The young boy blinked and turned towards the sound of the familiar voice. He startled a little at the sight of Percy standing not three feet away, having apparently snuck up on him without him noticing. His lips thinned a little at how haggard the older teen looked, his hair swept back messily as if he hadn’t had time to brush it, a rip in his jeans that looked new. His forehead had a slightly noticeable layer of dust and grime, and part of him wailed that Percy was so dirty in the proximity of so many books.

“What happened to you?” He asked, unable to help himself. Percy blinked as if surprised before he looked back down at his state and let out a small chuckle that sounded more than a little forced.

“Would you believe I got into a fight with a cat?” The older teenager asked with a wry grin. Even though he looked exhausted, Percy still seemed to exude a confidence that Carter could only dream of matching. “Took a wrong turn down an alley, the thing jumped me when I tried to get out.”

“Right. But if you don’t me saying, you don’t really…” Carter trailed off, not entirely sure how he was supposed to put it.

“The library type?” Percy asked, his grin gaining a more authentic edge. Carter could feel his face heat up, and embarrassment rise up from the back of his throat as he started spewing out apologies, but it was all waved off. “Don’t worry, I doubt I would be into reading even if I didn’t have trouble. I usually leave that to Annabeth.”

“Still, I shouldn’t have assumed…” Carter muttered, unable to help himself. Hadn’t Dad drilled it into his head to not judge people like that? He didn’t know why Percy wasn’t more upset, if someone had made the same assumption about him, he would have been pretty upset. Not that he would have been able to do anything about, but Percy looked tough enough to go toe with a lion and come outstanding. He just had that presence of a jock, and if he wasn’t one of the most popular people in school, then he would eat Dad’s suitcase.

“Mind if I join you? I was going to visit Mom, but her class isn’t out yet,” Percy said, waving towards the seat next to him. Carter nodded and set his book down on the small end table. It was likely he wasn’t getting anymore reading done, and Dad had wanted him to talk to Percy more. Given how likely it was that they were going to be seeing each other for a while, it felt prudent to at least try and get to know the older boy a little more.

“So…how’d that emergency at your camp go?” He asked. Something flashed across Percy’s face, irritation maybe, but it was quickly smoothed away by another forced smile.

“It was…okay. A bunch of birds were making trouble, and we had to chase them off. It wasn't too hard; it just took us a lot of time,” Percy shrugged, though Carter didn’t miss the wince as he rolled his shoulder. “So whatcha reading?”

Carter shrugged. “Just some history about Greek Mythology…”

The younger boy felt his throat catch a little as Percy leveled a look at him. Though the teenager didn’t have a trace of anger on his face, it felt like he was staring into the face of a hurricane. His body was screaming at him to move while his mind was warning him that moving would mean that the _very_ dangerous predator in front of him would pounce. The look held far longer than he would have liked, though the teen eventually let it up as if he had stared into the darkest depths of his soul and was satisfied with what he had found. “…ondering what got you curious about that.”

It took Carter a moment to realize that he was being spoken to, and another to run the question through his head. Fortunately, his throat didn’t feel like it was trying to claw its way out of his mouth anymore, but his answer came out a bit more softly than he would have liked. “Dad assigns me work as part of my homeschooling.”

“Oh…” was all that Percy said, his cheeks darkening as he looked away. The last of the pressure faded from the back of his skull, the screaming of his mind relaxing away. “Sorry, I, uh, thought that might have been a prank from my Mom. She knows that a lot of what I do is related to that.”

"It is?" He couldn't exactly see what anything about Greek mythology could apply to something that a teenager was doing, especially not to elicit that kind of reaction. More than that, Sally didn't seem like the type of woman to pull that kind of prank on Percy. Granted he had only met her once, but that still felt a bit out of character from what their dinner had shown him.

“Yeah, the camp I work at is Greek themed. Cabins based on gods, reenactments of ancient sports, that sort of thing,” Percy explained with a wave of his hand. Well, Carter supposed that made sense, but he couldn’t tell how his research could have possibly been a prank, they hadn’t even known they would be meeting each other today!

"Then…you know a lot about this stuff?" Carter asked as he moved to pick up the book. He had been trying to work through it, and he usually wasn't one to have trouble reading, but he was getting a splitting headache from this thing. Every time one of the Greek gods' names came up the closest Egyptian equivalent would take its place, as if his own head was trying to make him ignore the names. 

“Some of it. Annabeth knows a lot more than me though. I tend to get a lot of the names confused, and don’t even get me started on the family tree,” Percy muttered, something akin to irritation flashing across his face.

“Well, uh, do you think you could help me figure some of this out? I’ve been having some trouble,” Carter admitted, rubbing the back of his head in a mixture of embarrassment and shame. He had always prided himself on his intelligence, and while he was perfectly fine with asking Dad for help, getting help from someone who he had learned had been expelled multiple times was…embarrassing.

But he also knew he wasn’t getting anywhere like this and he needed a new perspective.

“Uh, sure?” Percy said, though his tone was more questioning than he would have liked. “I mean, if you really want some help, I could introduce you to Annabeth. She’s the one to go to when you want to know stuff about Greek mythology. But I can definitely try if that’s what you want to do, at least until Mom gets out of her class.”

How long had it been since someone his age had sat down and agreed to do something that he liked with them?

_Too long. _

“I’d…I’d like that.”

\----

Sadie first learned about Percy through a letter.

Which in her _extremely_ relevant opinion was the absolute _worst_ way to find your that your Dad had started dating someone else. That alone was a big mess that she couldn’t quite figure out how she felt about it, never mind all the additional baggage that came with the fact that his so-called date had a son.

The blonde-haired girl twisted her the red-dyed streak again as she read over the letter, doing her best to parse through the information that she had been given.

_Hey Sadie,_

__

__

_I hope you’re doing well; I know it's been a while since we've gotten a chance to speak to each other. I hope Grandpa and Grandma are doing well too, could you pass them on my love? I…_

_Just get to the point, Carter_, Sadie groused, even already knowing what the first paragraph of the letter was. He brother just seemed to go on and on with useless platitude, asking her how her school was going of all things! How on earth someone as awesome as she was stuck with a brother like him she didn't know. The fact that he was the one who got to go on adventures all over the world while she was stuck in boringville only rubbed even more salt in the wound.

Her gaze flickered over the paragraph, coming down to about halfway through the first page where he finally got to the real reason he had written the letter.

_So, we’re in New York right now, and we’re going to be staying here for a while, which is what I wanted to tell you. I don’t There’s no easy way to say this._

__

__

_Dad has a girlfriend. _

Sadie could feel her heart clench again, too many emotions for her to keep track of welling up inside the bottom of her chest. Even after all these years, it was a little hard to not resent Dad a little for failing to get custody of her too. She had been the one left behind by her own family after Mum's death, and she was left to deal with that on her own. Gramps and Gram sometimes got it, but they were old and really dull in comparison to her Dad.

To hear that he hadn’t just left her behind, he was leaving Mum’s memory behind in favor of some new girl…she didn’t know how to feel about that. Resentful that she was being left behind again? Sad that Dad apparently didn’t love Mum as much as she thought he did? Happy that he had found someone and wasn’t alone anymore?

She didn’t know.

_I know that's shocking news, but I suppose it's just better to rip the band-aid off now._

__

__

_I doubt you’re happy, and quite frankly neither am I. But Dad wants me to give her a chance, and I think you should too. I know I'm asking a lot for someone you've never met, but I haven't seen Dad smile like this in a long time. Ms. Jackson is nice, and while I do have reservations about this, she isn’t trying to replace Mom. If anything, she's been really accommodating and trying to know me, so I guess that's a plus. It's still incredibly awkward, but she said she wanted me to be comfortable about this whole thing too. _

_Is that what she told you?_

_I don’t know if you’re going to meet her during our next visit, but I thought I should give you a heads up, so you're not going in blind with her and her son._

__

__

_Oh, yeah, she has a son too, his name's Percy. He's alright, I guess. He’s friendly, but he’s…weird. I don’t know, there’s just something about him that feels off whenever we’re talking to each other. And no, it’s not because I’m jealous of his good looks!_

Despite herself, Sadie smirked. Yeah, it is.

No father, apparently Percy’s father left when he was little, and his stepfather left a couple years ago. 

_Maybe we'll get lucky, and she'll drive Dad off too_, she thought, dark musings swirling in her skull. She gave her precious cat Muffin scratches on the back as the feline silently leaped on her bed, curling up around her chest. The fluffiness did well to remove some of the tension from her shoulders, the dark thoughts receding just a bit. Not entirely, but enough that she didn’t rip up the paper.

_He's working as a counselor for camp around Long Island, something for kids with disabilities. It's kind of weird though, he always seems to be working, the first time we met, he left halfway through dinner for some kind of emergency they were having. I mean, I get dedication, but even from his house Long Island is a pretty far drive. _

Sadie startled a little as Muffin hissed, a low warning sound that was usually associated when she was fending off stray cats. She gave her a few scratches and the tension from her back dissipated, but she could still feel the low rumble in her chest even as her claws scratched at the bedding. “It’s okay, girl.”

_I don’t want to give you the impression that he’s weird it’s just okay yeah, he's a little odd but not in a bad way. If anything, he kind of reminds me of you with your recklessness._

Sadie pouted, she wasn’t reckless, she was awesome!

_Don’t try to deny it, you once climbed a tree on a dare and broke your arm when you slipped._

“Stop reading my mind, Carter,” she grumbled under her breath. Muffin let out a sound that suspiciously sounded like laughter. “Traitor.”

_I honestly don’t know if you two would hit it off or end up hating each other forever. I am hoping that if this ends up being a long-term thing that you’ll be able to meet them, if only so that I can share the awkwardness of this all and won’t be alone. Maybe Dad can convince Grandma and Grandpa to come out here if he pays for the tickets._

“Not likely,” she snorted, and Muffin purred in agreement. Gramps and Gram loved Carter but hated their Dad with a thousand burning suns. They weren’t going to do something like that, especially if it meant meeting the woman who was replacing Mum. Whatever it was that had happened (they still hadn't told her) they hadn't forgiven Dad for it.

_The good news is that since we’re staying in New York for the foreseeable future, we’re actually going to have a phone line, so we can call each other and have a chance to talk. _

__

__

As always, missing you, 

_Carter_

“You always got to end it on a sappy note, don’t ya?” Sadie muttered. For all that her brother claimed to be a person of intellect, he could be just as emotional as her, if not more so. He had once punched a bully when they had been young but had immediately backed down and broken out crying about how he had broken the rules when he had realized what he had done. He just missed that spark and confidence that would take him from a stuttering nerd into someone awesome like her.

_P.S. I included a photo of Percy and Ms. Jackson._

Sadie idly reached for the photo that she had set on her dresser, unfolding it again to stare at it. The woman in the picture, Ms. Jackson, was strikingly beautiful, she could admit that much. She wasn’t the kind of commercial beauty that she saw on the telly, but rather a far more realistic and homely charm. The smile that stretched across her face was warm and inviting, and maybe if she colored her hair to blonde, she might be able to pretend that she was Mum, and everything was all right.

_She ignored that last traitorous thought._

Percy on the other hand…

Well, Sadie liked to think that she wasn’t as boy crazy as Liz or Emma, but even she would admit that Percy was hot. His face looked as though it had been carved from marble, windswept black hair covering his forehead, only a single strange of white staining such a beautiful image. What little she could see of his arms were muscular and tight, the kind that she saw from the more dedicated sports players on her school’s teams.

_Wonder what he looked like without his shirt on…_

That thought lasted for all of about ten seconds before she realized that this bloke could very well end up being her step-brother in the future. Which…**no.**

“What do you think?” Sadie asked her animal companion who had resumed grooming herself. Muffin’s golden eyes looked up towards her, and not for the first time, Sadie could feel an odd sensation as her cat stared up at her, as though she knew something that she didn’t. Muffin let out a sound that was somewhere between a hiss and a purr, a conflicted noise that did little to answer any questions she had burning at her chest.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too.”

\----


	3. Normalcy

“So, you’re Carter.”

Annabeth Chase was beautiful.

Carter knew that Sadie would tease him forever if he let something like that slip (_and the mere thought of saying it out loud made his stomach twist and turn_), but that was the truth. Her golden lock hung bounced against her shoulders as though she had just finished curling them, only marred by a grey streak not unsimilar to Percy's.

That said, she still looked like she was no stranger to physical exertion, possessing the same lithe yet muscular frame he remembered Mom having. A pair of stormy grey eyes gazed down at him, and the younger teen couldn't help but let a shiver run down his spine. It felt as though he was some strange creature she was trying to figure out, as if she was mere moments away from trying to dissect him herself.

“Y-yeah, Carter Kane,” he managed to get out, holding his hand for her to shake. She seemed to examine it for a moment as though she expected something to jump out from his skin. It almost turned awkward before she took his hand, her soft yet well callous grip nearly crushing his own. Carter gulped a little at the strength behind that, and it didn’t even feel like she was trying to hurt him!

“I think you’re scaring him, Wise Girl.”

Salvation came in the form of Percy, a trace of humor in his tone. Annabeth only rolled her eyes, the tension that had kept him rooted to the spot dissipating in an instant. Relief flowed through him, and Carter couldn’t help but feel as though he had just passed some unseen test. “If he’s been with you, Seaweed Brain I’d be surprised if anything could scare him.”

Percy shrugged good-naturedly, but there was a trace of old pain behind that brittle smile.

Carter couldn’t help but note that he looked a lot like Dad during his bad days.

“He’s been putting up with me,” Percy said with a smile, and something warm passed through Carter’s chest. Despite his misgivings (_and he still did have a few about this whole 'dating' thing_), Percy had been nothing but supportive of him. Even with his habit of running off at the last second for seemingly unrelated reasons…he tried. It was more than he could say for what other people had done for him in the past.

“Well, I’m glad your Mom found someone better than Gabe,” Annabeth said, something flickering across her face to fast for him to catch. Percy was far less subtle, disgust rolling across his expression. Carter couldn’t help but wonder what his stepfather (_who didn’t have any pictures on the wall now that he thought about it_) could have done to have made the older boy that angry.

“Yeah, me too.”

Carter felt a bit left out as an invisible conversation seemed to pass between them.

"…Carter, I need to talk with Percy about some camp-related stuff first, but I'd been glad to help you with your research if you have the time,” Annabeth offered with a slight smile. Carter blushed a little with the realization that Percy had talked to her about his research. It was somewhat embarrassing, yet at the same time exciting since that meant Percy had talked to his friends about him.

It…felt nice to know this wasn’t just an act for Dad’s sake.

“Y-you work at the camp too?” He asked. For all that Percy seemed to talk about this camp, there was little in the way of memories shared. There weren’t any photos on the walls to commemorate special events. Whenever he talked about it, it felt as though he was picking his words carefully, as though there was some grand secret that he wasn’t willing to share. Sally seemed to know what it was, but she refused to talk about it even more than Percy.

It was irritating.

“Yeah, we’re usually the ones the camp directors send out for chores and stuff like that,” Percy said as he scratched the back of his neck. Carter’s gaze narrowed at the deflection, but he kept his mouth shut. He wasn’t nearly confident enough in himself to call Percy out on that, and Annabeth’s grey gaze seemed to be keeping a close eye on him. “It’s pretty grueling and boring work though, you wouldn’t be that interested.”

“I probably wouldn’t be,” he offered with the best smile he could muster.

“Percy,” Annabeth said, an unspoken agreement passing between them as they moved towards Percy’s room. The teen in question gave him an apologetic look before shutting the door behind him, leaving Carter alone in the living room. The young teen bit his lip as he glanced towards the kitchen where Sally was busy preparing lunch.

Dad was still out on business for the day, which meant that he was on his own.

…nobody would know if he eavesdropped.

_That sounds like something Sadie would say,_ the rational part of his brain argued.

_Doesn’t mean she’s wrong,_ the less rational part of his brain shot back. The fact that it sounded disturbingly like his sister didn’t help.

_I shouldn’t eavesdrop._

__

__

He’s keeping secrets from you; how do you know they won’t affect Dad?

Dad keeps secrets, but I don't eavesdrop on him.

He’s not Dad!

I’m not going to eavesdrop!

Then why are you standing by the door?

_… I'm arguing with myself,_ Carter groused, resisting the urge to smack his forehead against the wall. That said, he had taken the time to quietly move his way closer to Percy’s door. If he pressed his ear against the frame, nobody would know the truth, and he might finally start getting some answers about what was going on with the older teen.

Against all better judgment, Carter pressed his ear against the door, only barely catching the tail end of whatever Annabeth was saying.

_“…gathering their forces.”_

__

__

_“How many?”_

_“Enough to level the camp four times over if he wanted to.”_

_Level the camp?_ Were they having a fight with some contractor that wanted the location for themselves? He knew that Dad had to deal with a few of those people before who didn’t seem to get the message that sites that contained ancient artifacts weren't places for residential construction.

_“…that’s bad.”_

__

__

_“I thought that would be obvious, Seaweed Brain.”_

_“Please tell me we have some good news.”_

_“We’re not that lucky. We’re still trying to track the Princess Andromeda, but we haven’t been able to narrow its location yet. So long as Luke—”_

_“Kronos.”_

Carter swallowed. Half of what they were saying went over his head, but he had never heard that much hate in Percy’s tone before. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what these people had done to him to piss him off this much. The air almost seemed to chill around him, the lights in the hallway darkening as though they feared gathering someone’s attention.

_"R-right. So long as they have that they can coordinate with virtually every monster in the country. We've already had to start clearing out gatherings that have been setting up too close to New York, and it's getting worse."_

__

__

_“I know, I ran into a pack of harpies yesterday.”_

_What?_ Carter could feel his world spinning, as though his mind was refusing to comprehend the words that were being spoken. None of it made any sense, and for a second he considered the possibility that they were just pranking him. If they knew he was listening in, they could just keep feeding him nonsense and leave him wondering what the real issue was.

…but…something about that didn’t feel right.

He couldn’t put his finger on it, but deep down, he knew this wasn’t a prank.

A startled yelp nearly escaped his lips as a hand pressed against his shoulder. As he bit down the instinctive reaction to cry out, he turned to find Sally standing behind him. His heart slammed against his chest with the realization that he had been caught, thousands of different thoughts running through his head.

He didn’t resist as she quietly pulled him back towards the living room with her gentle grip. Once they were out of earshot from the other teens, the apologies that he had been holding back poured out of his mouth faster than he could keep up. "Ms. Jack -Sally- I’m sorry I did—”

His father's girlfriend raised her hand, and his mouth clicked shut.

Carter squirmed a little as she stared at the cup of tea in her hand. He knew that she wouldn’t punish him, she would leave that to Dad once he got home. In fact, he couldn’t say that she looked angry at what he had done at all. If anything, she almost looked…disappointed.

And very sad.

He would have preferred if she had been angry.

“Carter,” she said, and he had to resist the urge to flinch. It wasn’t harsh or demanding, but soft and understanding and reminded him of Mom far more than he would have liked to have admitted. Guilt roiled around his stomach, and though Sadie would have laughed it off, he wasn’t so self-assured in himself. “I’m sorry.”

Carter blinked. “What?”

“I know that being in our lives, in Percy’s life, isn’t easy.” Her finger idly traced the rim of her cup, her gaze turning distant. “I know you want to know what he’s been keeping from you. But please, Carter, let him come to you on his own terms. He already has such a weight on his shoulders from his…responsibilities. Having you not be a part of that, giving him a chance to be normal for a little bit. He treasures that far more than you realize.”

Carter swallowed.

He…he had never had a normal life since Mom had passed. Since Grandpa and Grandma had taken Sadie and he had globetrotted the world with Dad, never staying in one place for long. Normal had been something that he had longed for so long, and something he still did. Carter wanted to be with his sister, as annoying of a brat that she could be. He wanted to have that same family experience that he had missed out on.

Could…could he really fault Percy for wanting the same?

"… I'm sorry."

“I know sweetie,” Sally said with a warm smile that made his dampened spirits rise. Setting aside her tea, she clasped his hands in her own as her smile turned watery. “I know you just want to protect your father, and Percy understands that. That’s why he’s been trying to hard to keep you out of this, to keep you safe.”

Carter hoped that the air was on because that would explain away the chill.

Protect him?

Protect him from _what?_

"I know this is a lot to ask of you," Sally continued, cutting through the haze of terror that had threatened to descend on his mind. Thoughts of gangs and violence floated through his skull, but Percy wasn't like that. For all his faults, he didn't seem like the kind of person who would be involved in that sort of stuff, and he doubted that she would suffer anything like that. "But I’m asking you anyway. Please…let Percy have the life that he’s missed out on.”

“…I—”

“Mom!”

Percy’s voice cut down his words before he could get them out. Carter startled a little as the bedroom door swung open, the older teen moving forward with purpose. Something akin to worry flashed across his face before their gazes met, and it was quickly hidden behind a brittle smile. "Sorry to interrupt, but something's come up at Camp. One of the campers…took a wrong turn and we need to go pick them up.”

“It’s alright sweetie, go help your friend,” Sally said with a smile, but Carter had seen enough of them to know that it was fake. The same kind of smile that Dad got when he was talking about Mom, or when he was trying to convince him that everything was alright. He didn’t miss the way her grip curled, as if she was restraining herself from pulling him away from the door. “Please be careful.”

“…I will.”

“Percy!” Carter called out just as he and Annabeth made for the door. The blonde didn’t so much as break her stride, but Percy turned back towards him, hand on the door. He could see the urgency warring in the boy’s eyes, the way his muscles tensed as though he was ready to throw himself out the door and run down the street. “After…after you’re done do you want to do something? Like, hang out?”

Surprise flickered across Percy’s face before it was washed away by a smile.

Not a big one.

Not even a particularly strong one.

But it was _real._

"Yeah… I'd like that."

The door closed behind him as he moved to join his friend, leaving Carter alone with Sally. He turned back to face the woman who had such a heartfelt smile on his face that the worries of the day seem to evaporate. Casually, she wiped away a gathering tear in the corner of her eye. Her voice shook, as though he had just performed some herculean task of heroism.

“_Thank_ you.”

\----

“You’re a fool, you know that?”

“It’s good to see you too, brother,” Julius Kane greeted with a sigh. He knew that he and his younger brother didn’t see eye to eye these days, but he had hoped for a warmer greeting than this. Then again, considering the last time they had met, maybe this was to be expected. “I had expected to hear from you sooner.”

“I waited because I wasn’t sure if it was you or not,” Amos Kane grunted as he took his seat across from him. He didn’t bother removing his sunglasses or hat, which he had always felt were superfluous additions to disguise, they wouldn’t protect him from magic. Then again, his younger brother had once confided in him that he wore trench coats because they were 'cool' so maybe the reasoning was far less practical than he imagined.

Julius gave the street another glance if only to ensure that his younger brother hadn't been followed. The House of Life were a wily bunch and wouldn't give up his scent that easily. Seeing and sensing nothing, the magician allowed himself to relax just a tad as the waitress approached them for their order. “I would have thought you had enough sense to avoid Manhattan. Then again, you didn’t have enough sense to not try to free the gods—”

"Careful Amos," Julius warned the prickly sensation of pain long past rising from the back of his skull. Even if he were happy with what he had found with Sally, he would never forget Ruby for her warmth and kindness that had so taken him. He would always miss her, regardless of what the future held.

“…my apologies, I did not mean to go that far." The words felt forced, but considering how rocky their relationship was right now, it was the best he was going to get. "Still, you must admit this is a risk. Straying into the territory of the others could have repercussions beyond yourself.”

“Oh, no care for me?”

“Don’t twist my words,” Amos shot back. “You wish to risk destruction? Fine. But do not be so cavalier to disregard the lives of others. Your actions will have consequences beyond yourself if this does blow up.”

"Does the House know where I am?" He was confident that he had lost those who had been trailing him, but paranoia born from six years of always being one step ahead did not fade quickly into the night. Some days it took everything he had to not shove his belonging into his suitcase, grab Carter and flee to the next airport. It was only thanks to Sally grounding him that he was able to keep his head on straight.

“No. Nobody wishes to approach Manhattan,” Amos answered as he waved off the waitress. Julius hummed in thought. The truth of what floated about the Empire State Building was a secret only known to a select few in the House of Life, but he could still remember his basic training. Instructions of where _not_ to go drilled into his head until he bled, sometimes literally. "Beyond that, I don't know, you're aware they won't let me anywhere near your case. Considering what I'm doing right now, I don't blame them."

“…I wouldn’t ask of you anything I didn’t think you wouldn’t already do.”

“I know brother…but you make things difficult, whether you mean to or not,” Amos sighed, tired and heavy. Julius felt a pang of regret slip through his stomach. His brother already had the stress of being related to an exiled magician, running his own (_underfunded_) Nome, and being one of the most potent magicians on the planet. “At least tell me you’ve made some progress on this quest of yours.”

"Oh?" Julius raised his eyebrow. "I thought you called it a 'fool's errand'?"

“I did, and I still do,” Amos grumbled without a hint of regret. “But since you refused to be shaken from this path, the least I can do is make sure you don’t get yourself killed. For your children’s sake if not for yours.”

“…some," Julius admitted. It was more than what he had, but considering how little he had before that wasn’t saying that much. A man in the desert would think a drop of water an oasis if that was all he had. What Ruby had described coming to pass still haunted his nightmares, the downfall of everything that was and will be. Regardless of whether his brother believed him, this was not a path that he could turn away from, even if it destroyed him in the end.

Too much was at stake. 

“I have a few more leads to investigate if nothing else."

“Hm…and what of your lady friend?”

“Is this your interrogation of my love life?” Julius asked, a smile stretching across his face. To his relief, his brother mirrored him, some of that casual and carefree nature that had put them at odds so many years ago rising through the pain.

“Call me surprised,” he said with a shrug. “Considering that I had to practically shove you out the door to go on a date with Ruby. Wooing the ladies has never been one of your strong spots, brother.”

“Perhaps years away from your bad advice has helped me,” he offered with a teasing smile. They bother cracked a few laughs at that, reminiscing of some of the less successful attempts on their parts to garner a date. Even now, Julius still couldn't help but howl in laughter at some of his brother's more spectacular failures.

Then again, it wasn’t as though he was much better.

"She's …special." That was the best truth that he could give. Sally Jackson just had a way of lighting up the whole world around her with her innate strength. She hadn't had an easy life either if what he suspected about her previous husband was true, and that wasn’t even getting into the origins of her son.

He didn’t have confirmation yet, but he had strong suspicions.

She would never replace Ruby, nobody could do that, and he didn’t want her to be a mere replacement. He…he liked to think that Ruby would approve of her and what she had done for him and their son. She had given them the home they hadn’t had before. The home that had been taken away from Carter by the strings of fate.

“She has a son, a little older than Carter. I think it’s been good for him to connect with someone his age, for them both,” Julius said even as the weight of the world seemed to press down on him. He knew that he hadn’t been able to give Carter a good life since Ruby’s death, he hadn’t even been able to keep Sadie with them. He asked so much from his son, traveling the world and always moving, never long enough to make friends, and in return, he asked for so little.

He was proud of his boy, prouder than he could ever imagine.

“…you know that you’ll need to tell her eventually. Even if she never gets involved beyond knowing that you do, she should be aware of the risks. It’s getting time that Carter and Sadie should know as well,” Amos offered, and the slight smile that graced his lips died. He knew that the House could be ruthless when they wanted to, but he doubted that the current Chief Lector would allow something like that. Then again, he supposed monsters wouldn't care too much about possible collateral damage.

Though he had a feeling that Sally was more than aware of the dangers of the world.

He didn’t dare inform Amos of that little tidbit though. As much as he loved his brother, he knew that he agreed with the House’s choice to keep themselves isolated from the other worlds and deal with their own problems. He sincerely doubted that his little brother would do anything himself if he learned his suspicions of Percy being a demigod, but that wouldn't mean others wouldn't.

He could see some reckless fool deciding to rid themselves of the demigod and remove any 'contamination' into their world.

Once be might have agreed with the idea of keeping their worlds separate, but it was a lot harder to ignore when someone you cared about was involved with that world. He had already caught a Greek monster or two sniffing around the apartment, and though he dispatched them quickly, it was indicative of what Percy and Sally had been dealing with all their lives.

Percy was still just a kid, only slightly older than Carter. Demigod or not, being forced to deal with that sort of weight on your shoulders was not for the faint of heart. It was probably even worse for Sally as a mortal, who could do nothing but watch as her son was placed in constant danger for something he had no control over.

She was far braver than he was.

They already had to deal with so much.

He didn’t want them to deal with more.

Still, …his brother wasn't wrong. 

“I know I just…need to find the right time,” he admitted. Revealing that you were a magician to the woman you were dating wasn’t something that could be done lightly. He would need to explain the situation to Carter and Sadie as well, they deserved to know the truth now that they were old enough.

Though getting his in-laws to agree to that wouldn’t be easy…

“Sometime this summer. Maybe I could convince them to let Sadie come to New York…” he started to say, but even before he noticed his brother’s incredulous expression, he dismissed the idea. Those two would never let Sadie visit him by herself, not after what happened to Ruby. He appreciated their love for his daughter and how they could provide her with the stability she needed for her life…but that didn’t make it any less grating to be separated from her.

“You really think they’ll let that happen?” Amos asked, idly scratching his chin.

Julius sighed. “Probably not. If worst comes to worst I can tell Carter and Sadie during my visit with her, then I can share it with Sally," he said, letting the resolution settle in his head. That would give him a few weeks to prepare himself mentally and tie up any loose ends before they visited England.

Only a few more weeks and he could tell them the truth.

Just in time for Percy’s sixteen birthday.

\----


	4. Revelations

Something was wrong.

It wasn’t just the fact that he had somehow managed to convince Ruby’s parents to bring Sadie to New York to meet Percy and Sally, though that had certainly shaken his worldview. Their agreement went against almost everything he knew of them. Any familial relationship they might have had died along with Ruby all those years ago when they chose to rip Sadie away from him and Carter.

Though once he had some time to sit down and _think_, their actions made a sickening amount of sense.

What better way to drive Sadie away from him than having her interact with the woman who was ‘replacing’ Ruby. He had done his best to assure his son and daughter that wasn’t what he was doing, but he could see how thoughts like that could poison Sadie’s mind against him. When the realization of what they were attempting to accomplish struck him, it had taken all of his willpower to not march straight back and sock his father-in-law in the face.

Again.

_Cowards_, he sneered in the confines of his head. It was one thing to hate him, they had lost their daughter the day he had lost his wife. He understood their pain and knew that he was a constant reminder of what they had lost. The magician couldn’t bring himself to blame them for their anger towards him.

But to bring the children into this?

_Good thing they decided to stay at their hotel_, he mused in the back of his mind. He wasn’t sure that he would have been able to remain civil had they chosen to show up. While he wanted to give them a piece of his mind (_and he would_), this was supposed to be a special day for Percy, unhindered by family spats.

If he got here, that was.

Julius gave Sally a discrete glance, though he probably could have been playing bagpipes and she wouldn’t have even noticed. She kept up her polite façade well, but he could see the stress lines on his forehead, the way her hands trembled. Her skin had lost some of its color, adding five years to her appearance.

He couldn’t help but ask. “Are you feeling alright?”

“W-what?” Sally startled as though he had broken her out of a trance. She blinked as though she just remembered that he and his children were standing there. “Y-yes, I’m fine. I know Percy’s been busy with the…project his camp had been working on. I was just hoping to…say goodbye before it ends.”

_Before he dies._

It wasn’t said, but he could read the undertext.

Julius could feel his own skin paling, the life draining from him even as he willed himself to stay strong. He knew that a demigod’s life was dangerous and beset on all sides by monsters, but the way she was speaking was like she was _expecting_ something bad to happen today. Snippets of conversations from these last few weeks filtered through his head, her hints that they needed to push the date back. He had told her he couldn’t thanks to his in-laws, but now he was wondering if he had made a grave mistake.

She already had one child to worry about.

Now he had forced her to worry about _three._

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” he said, hoping that he sounded a lot more confident than he felt.

“I gotta say, I was expecting a lot more ‘pizazz’ from New York,” Sadie grumbled from her seat as she continued to gently stroke Bast’s host. Carter lightly elbowed her in the side, earning a disgruntled noise from his sibling. Julius could feel the reprimand on the tip of his tongue, but Sally beat him to it.

Though not in the way he was expecting.

"I'm sorry sweetie, I know this must be dull for you," she said, pulling herself closer to the kids. She kept her distance, apparently realizing that Sadie wasn't someone who would appreciate physical contact with a virtual stranger. Instead, she held herself high and kept up with that same warmth and welcoming charm that had made him (_and a Greek god_) fall for her so hard. “Would you like me to get you anything? Carter?”

Julius couldn’t help but marvel a little as she handled his children with practiced ease.

Even when she clearly had her mind on other things and her own son might very well have been facing up against monsters ten times his size, she was doing her best to make her home feel welcome. He wouldn't have blamed her if she locked herself in her room and wept, but instead, she picked herself off wiped away the tears and went back to work.

Gods above, she was an amazing woman.

“Could I have another water, please?” Carter asked gently.

It was impossible to tell unless you had known the boy for years, but he could see the changed in his gait, confidence that had been lacking slipping through. His time with Percy had done him wonders in trusting himself. Just the fact that he had someone his age who listened to his ideas and treated him as an equal (_despite the age difference_) had done more from him than years with his own father had accomplished.

He had tried, he really had.

Julius wished he could have done more, but with how much they had to move around and his own expectations (_for his good, always for his good_) his son’s confidence had never been strong.

He would be an amazing man, he just needed someone to believe in him.

His sister, on the other hand…

“…whatever,” she practically grunted.

Julius winced a little on the inside. Even if they hadn’t managed to completely turn her against the idea of Sally and Percy, her grandparents had had weeks to drive home their twisted worldview. The fact that she was still giving them a chance was heartening, but it was clear from the get-go that she wasn’t their biggest fan. The fact that what was supposed to be a fun celebration was turning into a slog (and possible funeral) wasn’t helping change that opinion.

Despite the lackluster response from his daughter, Sally took it in stride, wandering off towards the kitchen all the same. As her warmth and presence temporarily left the room, Julius could feel the world minutely shift around him, as though the darkness was coming in to fill the void left behind.

_When did it get so cold?_

A weight coiled around his shoulders, threatening to snuff out that tiny spark of joy he was desperately trying to keep alive. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up on end, goosebumps breaking out across his exposed flesh. His throat felt dry and scratchy like he hadn't had any drink for days. Every instinct he had honed in his time as a magician were screaming at him to get as far away from New York as possible.

That something bad, something _horrible_ was going to happen.

Run. 

His gaze flickered towards Bast.

Despite being given a rather vigorous scratching by his daughter (_who perhaps sensed her discomfort_), she looked just as tense as he felt.

A discrete nod in his direction.

She could feel it too.

Whatever was happening was enough to make a goddess nervous – that didn’t bode well.

For any of them.

When the door finally swung open Sally practically through herself to her feet. Faster than even he could keep track of, she wrapped her son in a hug that he returned without hesitation. Julius could feel something die in the back of his throat at the sight of Percy’s haunted gaze.

“Mom?” His voice was quiet, far quieter than he had ever remembered.

And afraid.

“Yes sweetie,” she murmured even as the boy he barreled noticed before (_dark-haired and pale-skinned_) awkwardly slipped in from behind.

“I…I need your blessing for something.”

\----

“Sooo, what’s up with him?”

Julius glanced down at his daughter before returning his gaze to the kitchen door. The trio had sealed themselves inside, and while he could have eavesdropped, he wasn’t going to betray their trust like that. “I don’t know.”

That…it was hard to admit that.

For so many years, he had forced himself to keep going with the knowledge that he was burdened with, the coming threat that loomed over the horizon. He had forced himself to carry that weight regardless of what it did to him, of what it cost him. His family, friends, his previous life, that had all fallen apart when he had taken on this self-imposed task.

It was grinding.

Disheartening.

Soul crushing.

So, should he have really been so surprised that he hadn't looked too deep into whatever was happening with Percy?

It made him feel sick now that he had witnessed the fruits of his labors, of what Percy had been driven into. He had never seen the boy that desperate, that sad and heartbroken. He was dealing with things that magicians took a lifetime (sometimes several) to deal with. He was braver than most and instead of rising to support him, he kept that knowledge at bay, convinced himself that it was for the better.

_Gods I’m a coward._

The door swung open.

Julius swallowed as Percy, and his friend (_Nico, he had called him Nico_) stepped out, looking just as sad but not quite as defeated. Percy himself almost seemed lost in thought, Nico guiding him through the door with a gentle grip.

“Julius.”

The magician in question kept his composure as Percy turned towards him, his throat raw and scratchy, eyes puffed up. He kept his silence, allowing the demigod to come to him on his own terms. Even Sadie was silent in the background, apparently having realized the seriousness of the situation.

“C-can you keep Mom safe?”

That wasn’t a question any child should have to ask about their parent.

“I will,” he answered as he allowed his power to coil through his veins. Whatever his failings before, he wouldn’t allow Sally to fall to whatever was happening. He had already lost Ruby…he…he wasn’t sure he could stand to lose her. Even if he burned himself up doing so, he would make sure this brave bo – no man, he was a man – mother was safe. “I’ll keep her safe, you have my word.”

The grateful smile he got in return was weak, but it was there. 

“Carter,” Percy said, starling his son, who looked like he would rather be anywhere else but here right now. But Percy didn’t give him that chance, moving over towards him in a few steps and wrapping him in a hug. His son stiffed and a pang of regret flashed through his chest at how unused he was to that sort of physical contact. “I want you to know that whatever happens, I’m glad you’re part of my family.”

His son was left rather speechless and dazed as Percy disentangled himself and turned towards Sadie, who like her brother, it looked as though she would rather be anywhere else.

“Sadie,” he offered, and his daughter seemed to startle. As though she hadn’t expected him to know her name. He didn't offer her a hug, which was probably for the best. Either Sadie would punch his lights out, or Bast would try to claw out his eyes, and he wasn't sure who would do more damage. "I…I know we haven’t really gotten a chance to meet each other, but Carter and Julius talk a lot about you. I’m glad you’re part of my family too.”

For perhaps the first time in her life, Sadie didn’t have a snarky comeback.

He would have laughed if this wasn't so depressing.

“Percy, we need to get going,” Nico offered, quiet and contrite.

Percy swallowed, seemingly steeling himself as he pulled away from the group. Before he passed through the door and marched off to whatever threat he was preparing to face, he turned towards them one last time.

“Thank you.”

The door clicked shut behind him.

“…Dad?” Sadie was unusually quiet.

“Yes, sweetie?”

“…where is he going?”

_Death._

_Battle. _

_War. _

“…to be a hero.”

\----

He found Sally crying.

He shouldn't have been surprised if she knew even a smidgen about the world her son was involved in, she had to know how dangerous it was for him. Whatever was happening, whatever had left Percy in such a state…how much worse was it for her? To know that your baby was marching off to fight monsters and demons, and there was nothing you could do but sit back and pray that he lived to see it through.

“Sally,” he murmured, gently rubbing her shoulders as she sniffed and sobbed.

Sally was strong, there was no doubt about that, but even the strongest of people had their limits.

“…m’sorry,” she mumbled, almost too muffled for him to make out. With a shuddering breath, she pulled herself up, gently squeezing his hand with one of her own. Tracks of tears still ran down her face, eyes puffy and red. “I know you wanted Sadie to meet us but…”

“No,” Julius gently retorted. “This isn’t your fault. I should have realized that something was wrong and that’s on me.” He felt so empty, now that he had realized the real reason that she had wanted him to delay their meeting. He didn't regret being here, giving her the support she needed, but his children, on the other hand? That was something he didn't want to have to worry about that she _shouldn’t_ have had to worry about if he had just heeded her advice.

Sally hummed but remained otherwise silent.

Julius swallowed his fear.

There would be no going back after this.

“Does any of this have to do with him being a demigod?”

He could practically _hear_ the chair crack as she bolted from her seat, wiping around to face him fully. Disbelief broke through the misery that had begun to consume her. Julius felt a pang in his chest as she stared at him as though he was someone else. He could hear his children rising in the background, the door having been cracked open enough for them to hear his query.

“You knew?”

He had never heard her voice that small before.

“I suspected,” he clarified, gently taking her hands in his own. Thankfully she didn’t pull away from him, but there was a flicker of hesitation in those lovely irises. “I’m not exactly a normal mortal myself.”

“…you knew.”

Julius faltered.

She had a right to blame him for keeping this a secret from her, for ferreting out the hidden part of her life without offering up his own in return. There were plenty of excuses he could have used, but in the end, it was because he had been scared. Because he hadn’t wanted to ruin what he had found, what he had lost all those years ago.

“Y-yes. But it’s not exactly a question that comes up in polite conversation, it is?”

He had hoped that would at least earn a smile from her.

It didn’t.

He swallowed again. “I…I was going to wait for you to tell, to let you trust me before you revealed your biggest secret. But I supposed I was just a coward in the end. I could have done more to help you and Percy and I…”

He was silenced by a kiss on the lips.

It took him a moment to realize what was happening, the sudden transition cutting him short. It took hearing his own daughter's retching ‘eeewww’ to break him out of his trance and return the favor. How long they stood like that, he wasn't certain, but when they finally parted, he felt a lot better than he had been going into that kiss.

"You knew," she murmured again, her face lighting up. "You knew, and you stayed."

Realization clicked.

“Yes,” he said as everything slotted into place. He had mistaken her reaction for anger, when in fact it had been the exact opposite. He tried to imagine what it might have been like for her, to raise a demigod in a world of mortals with nobody she could trust. At least with the House of Life, they knew even if they hated him, and he had Ruby for a time to share the burden of the world. “I wouldn’t abandon you two because of that.”

It made her all the braver in his eyes.

Tears started to track down her face again, but these were anything but sad.

“I can help Percy,” he said with as much sincerity as he could muster. He could hear Bast hissing in protest, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. The House would hate him even more, but that was nothing new, and his brother would probably try to beat him upside the head. But Ruby would never forgive him if he abandoned family. “Please, what’s going on.”

Her smile broke.

And as she explained what was happening, something inside of him broke too.

\----

“You’re joking, right?”

Sadie was starting to regret convincing her grandparents to bring her to New York. Not only had the supposed party been a complete drag, now she was being fed lines about mythology being real. Which was ridiculous on the face of it and had anyone ever proclaimed such nonsense to her before, she would have laughed them off as insane.

The only thing that was stopping her was the fact that Dad was backing it up.

“No Sadie, no she’s not,” he rumbled from the passenger seat. Sadie’s retort was cut short as the car hit another bump, sending a shudder through the entire frame. Sally Jackson seemed intent on getting them all killed, driving through busy streets as though it was the end of the world. Quite frankly it was an only marginally better experience than the M25 (_whose designers had to be evil to let something like that be created_). “What modern society had dismissed as myth and legend are very real. Perhaps not what you imagined them as, but real nonetheless. Y-your mother and I had planned to train you, but after she passed…”

An awful feeling rose from the bottom of her gut, and she clutched Muffin just a little tighter.

“A-and Percy is—” Carter started to ask, though didn’t quite finish.

“He’s a demigod,” Sally offered quite breathlessly. Her hands jerked to the side as she just barely avoided a pedestrian and Sadie had to wonder if this was going to end up with them being arrested. That would make a great story for her mates, but somehow, she doubted that her grandparents would ever allow her near Dad again.

That thought alone made her blood boil.

She was risking the one day a year she got to see Dad, and for what?

This _poppycock!_

"Right," she drawled, a hint of her anger rising from her throat. "Well, that sounds like a lo—”

_SLEEP. _

The thought hit her like a brick to the face.

Her control over her tongue faltered as the words died in her throat, replaced by the largest yawn she had ever felt. Her muscles, previously coiled and tense fell to her sides like they were made of jelly. The mere thought of trying to stay awake was exhausting, but she couldn’t fall asleep. She could tell that something was wrong with this, something unnatural and twisted. 

_Sleep. _

The voice murmured again, soft and inviting, the kind that made you just want to curl up and snooze the day away. The young teen could feel the car shudder and screech, which probably should have made her more nervous, but caring just seemed so hard right now. How much easier would it all be to just slip away and ignore all this nonsense…

Her father’s voice echoed in the car like a crack of thunder, pulling Sadie out from the comforting pit she had nearly fallen into. A shuddering gasp left her throat as Muffin howled, Carter jerking in place beside her, as though he had just barely kept himself from falling asleep. The car came to a screeching halt, and it was only her hyperawareness of the situation that kept her from smacking her forehead against the headrest.

“…wha…” was all that she could bring herself to say.

_Wait, when did the car door open? _

Belatedly, the girl realized that Dad was pulling her out of the car. A wave of dizziness washed over her as she took her first step, her head shaking as though she had taken a spin in a drier. In some corner of her mind, she could recognize that Carter was being helped out by Ms. Jackson (_who was stumbling a bit herself_). Muffin hissed at her feet, as though she was ready to take on all of New York City.

Though as the fogginess that had threatened to consume her mind cleared, she realized that was rather unnecessary.

Every direction she turned towards was covered with people sleeping, regardless of what they had been doing before. Car horns wailed as their drivers slumped over the wheels, pedestrians having fallen out across the sidewalk. A school bus filled with fifth-graders had nearly plowed into a bookstore, its occupants blissfully unaware of how close to death they had come. Panic gripped her heart like nothing had ever before. “Wha…”

“What’s going on?” Carter sounded just as shaken up as she did.

"Where will they be?" Dad asked, allowing his hand to rest on her shoulder. Sadie clutched at it like a lifeline, the only thing that made sense in this mad world. Part of her wished she could be one of the sleeping people because at least then she could keep up the illusion that Ms. Jackson was just a crazy person who had swindled her father.

Entire streets of New York falling asleep kind of shattered that argument.

“The Empire State building,” Ms. Jackson said even as Muffin hissed in protest. “That’s where they’ll be mounting their defense. We need to get there before any of the monsters arrive.”

_Monsters!?_

"Oh, you're far too late for that, mortal.”

Sadie turned towards the sound of the voice.

Then she started screaming.

It was as if somebody had taken a woman, ripped out her legs and stitched twin snakes together in their place. Gleaming golden armor filled her vision, a spear as longer than she was tall in the woman’s clawed hands. A forked tongue escaped between her fangs as her lips curved into a mocking smile. Her mouth opened to say something but was quickly cut short as Dad roared out, a flaming arrow slamming into her chest and knocking her aside like a bowling pin.

“Magician scum!” The monster (_what else could it be_) screamed as it tore itself from the ground as quickly as it had fallen. Parts of its armor looked burned and charred, blackening patches of scales falling to the ground as it lunged towards her father, spear outstretched to impale him. Sadie could feel the world slowing down around her as Dad’s lips moved.

“Lady Bast, protect them!”

Muffin lunged forward with a _yowl. _

“Muffin!” Sadie screamed out as her precious housecat, the last gift from Mum tackled the monster. The young teen would have expected a lot of results from a cat tackling something that was a good ten times its size. None of those possibilities involved Muffin transforming into a woman, but that was what happened.

A blast of air and sand engulfed her vision and nearly knocked her on her ass.

When the dust finally settled, she found herself staring at a woman with a gymnast’s build, a pair of massive knives wrapped in her hands. The snake lady screamed in fury but was quickly silenced as the pair of blades severed her throat. Sadie could only watch as the creature exploded into golden dust, erasing any trace of her existence.

“Only you, Julius Kane,” the woman hummed thoughtfully as she stood up from her crouch. She hadn’t let go of her knives, and her golden eyes still wandered across the streets as though she was searching for trouble – for more monsters. “Only you could court a woman who by cosmic chance is the mother of a Greek demigod.”

“It appears I just have that luck,” Dad rumbled, but she didn’t miss the way his hand was twitching or how his gaze kept on flickering between the two of them. Sadie tried to not think of what would have happened if he hadn’t been quick enough on the draw, if Muffin hadn’t saved them…

…they weren’t pretty thoughts.

“D-dad?” Carter spoke up. “What’s going on?”

“Why did my cat turn into a woman?” Sadie blurted out, unable to help herself.

There probably were better questions to ask but, in her defense, this was the cat that she had fed and groomed for years. She had let her sleep on her head!

“I know you want answers, and I’ll give them to you,” Dad promised with a slight smile. She tried to ignore the fact that it was the same smile he had given them before he and Mum had gone off, and only one of them had come back. “But right now, isn’t the time or the place.”

“Your father is right, little kitten,” Muff – Bast, he had called her Bast. "This entire city is about to become a warzone. As loathe as I am to go to the Greeks for help, there’s no way we’ll be able to escape the city like this. They’ll have every magical and nonmagical mode of transportation locked down.”

“Will someone please explain to me what’s going on!” Sadie screamed as her entire worldview shattered like glass against a rock.

“Simple.”

The four of them turned toward Sally Jackson, who in the intervening time, had somehow managed to acquire a shotgun. Sadie’s gaze flickered towards a gun store whose glass door had been shattered by a well-placed brick. The weapon clicked as she chambered a few rounds, any trace of fear that had been present at the apartment having been wiped away. She looked as though she was ready to go a few rounds with hell itself and go down swinging.

“We’re going to help my son save the world.”

Sadie would later admit that she was somewhat in a daze as they wandered through the city, forced to discard the car with how many snoring obstacles were left in their path. She felt bad for leaving them, but even shaking them hadn’t been enough to wake them up and they didn’t have time to wake millions of people.

Sadie turned towards her brother.

“You never told me she was a badass.”

\----


	5. Ocean's Rage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Demons run when a good man goes to war.

Bast was not a happy goddess.

For starters, she was in Manhattan, which was up there with San Francisco and Boston for places that foreign gods definitely didn’t want to visit. Passing through in the form of a dormant host would have been acceptable so long as she didn’t draw attention to herself, but she had long since passed that point thanks to Julius’ permission.

It had been a long time since she had taken this form, and as bad as the situation was, she was enjoying every minute of it.

One of her blades casually sliced open another one of those Underworld mutts (_what was it about them and their dogs?_) as she led as the vanguard for their motley group deeper and deeper into the city. If one of the Dodekatheon caught her trespassing this, there was no telling how they would react. There were a few who would probably just shrug it off, Hestia and Artemis generally tended to be level-headed, but they were very much in the minority.

Then again, with the current state of Manhattan, they might very well _reward_ her.

Her imprisonment had left her cut out of the gossip of her pantheon, and her return enough only reinforced that. With all but Thoth imprisoned by the machinations of the House, she was veritably blind to the movements of the other pantheons. There had been reports by mortals that had made her suspicious (_that St. Helens eruption had been anything but natural_) as to the current state of the Greeks, but she would have never suspected something like _this_.

_This is no raiding party – this is an_ army.

What they had encountered were mere scouts, the fringes of a much larger force mustering up and down the sprawling city. She could feel the power in the air, the tension boiling underneath the Duat as so many monsters, gods, and who knew what else gathered in a single place. If it had been up to her, she would have already abandoned the city and let the Greeks deal with their own issues.

But that would mean abandoning her kittens.

That was _not_ an option.

“Where will they be?” Julius Kane asked as the crackling power of his magic receded, his two kittens looking up in awe as they huddled behind them.

“They’ll be gathering by the Empire State building,” Sally Jackson said as she loaded more rounds into the pilfered shotgun. Part of her wanted to beat the woman upside the head for getting her kittens involved in this mess, but the other part of her couldn’t help but be impressed by her courage. Mortals were nothing to gods and monsters, and yet here she was – armed with a simple mortal weapon, walking into certain death just for the chance of helping her own kitten.

“If they’re smart, they’ll try to cut them off at the bridges,” Bast noted. While she wasn’t particularly familiar with this mortal city, those bridges were obvious choke points for anyone wanting to march on Olympus. They could be maneuvered around with enough time, but they were the shortest way to get there, and only a fool would ignore them.

“If we—” the woman froze with a gasp as she rounded the corner, her expression paling as she caught sight of whatever monstrosity she had happened upon. Bast felt a surge of irritation flash through her at the need to help the mortal again, but she buried that down. Julius cared for Sally, as did Carter, and she wasn’t going to let them down after all they had done for her.

The cat goddess moved forward, as did Julius and they both rounded the corner in time to catch what had scared the woman who had faced down monsters without blinking so. Bast grimaced as the forces arrayed against the demigods, monsters literally clogging up the street in some cases. Individually they were little threat to her, even as weak as she currently was, but with so many of them, even she could be worn down with time. If she had a better host than a house cat, it would have been different, but she worked with what she had.

Still, it was a manageable situation with how the demigods were holding the line and – _Eye of Ra was that a Titan?!_

A second look only confirmed that _yes_, that was Hyperion, and _yes_, the demigod he was dueling was Percy Jackson. The Titan of Light and Fire wasn't giving the boy a moment of respite underneath his assault, only held off by the fact that Percy was using the water of the reservoir to provide himself with some space. Flames licked at his skin but were shrugged off as so much rainwater, the water trembled as their blades locked, monsters and demigods howling as their respective combatants went all out.

“…whoa…”

She wasn’t sure which one of her kittens had spoken up…but yes, _whoa_.

Bast had never witnessed Titans in combat before, but even as weakened as he was Hyperion was showing why he was one of the strongest Titans in existence. In theory, this fight should have been nothing more than a speedbump for the Titan, but somehow Percy was holding the flaming deity back. The air itself seemed to scream as the conflicting forces met each other head-on.

So distracted by the display, she didn't even realize that Sally had managed to wrap her hand around her arm and pull her down to eye level. Bast was about to shake the woman off, but her steely gaze stopped her short. There was no fear or terror at the fact she was currently manhandling a goddess, nor anything resembling regret.

“Help him.”

Two words.

Two simple words.

No…not even mere words – a _command_.

Even though she could have easily been vaporized if she willed it (_not that she was like that, mindless slaughter was always Sekhmet’s department_) this woman, this mortal, still dared to command a goddess.

All for the sake of helping her kitten.

Bast’s golden gaze flickered to Julius, his dark complexion turning as pale as could be with the realization of just how far in his beloved’s child was tangled in this mess. His hand gripped his wand with frightening strength, the wood nearly creaking underneath the pressure. Carter stood behind him, shivering even as he held a bat he had managed to acquire, ready to help even though he had no _conception_ of what was happening. Sadie, the girl who had cared for her all these years, pressed up against her father’s side even as she tried to hold up a brave face. The fury was evident in her gaze though, after having witnessed what a few of the stray monsters had done to the sleeping mortals.

All three gazes were locked on Percy’s form.

“_Help him._”

The words were uttered again, still strong and resolute.

But there was no mistaking the desperation underneath.

Bast sighed.

There was only one answer she could give…

\----

Percy thought he was doing rather well.

“Demigod _scum._”

…relatively speaking.

Hyperion’s flaming visage engulfed his entire world as their blades met, literal sparks flying as they greedily swept over his form, trying to ignite his body. His clothes were undoubtedly going to need to be replaced, but they divine flames washed over him without so much as a tickle. The water beneath them tried to snuff out of the imposing flames, but a flash of heat (_felt through even the Curse_) and they were beaten back.

Still, even if he couldn’t snuff Hyperion out, the Titan couldn’t push forward.

The longer he could stall the Titan and give the others time to regroup and prepare for the incoming horde of monsters, the better. He could hold the line here and give Annabeth more time to figure out how to take care of this rampaging Titan so he didn’t smash through their defensive line. To his credit, Hyperion had already seemed to realize this and slammed his blade against his shoulder in a successful feint (_though it still refused to break his skin_).

“Enough,” he snarled, his voice that of a roaring wildfire, ready to consume the world and everything in it. “We take this fight on la-GAH!”

Percy blinked.

One moment Hyperion was bearing down on him like a rampaging bull…

…the next he was being slammed into the water by a knife-wielding lady.

The Titan howled as the blades slipped through the cracks in his armor, golden ichor dripping into the water. The deity roared, and the flames that engulfed him were so bright that even with his eyes closed he could still see them. A cat-like _yowl_ was all he heard from the woman as she was forced back, landing on top of the water with a surprisingly level of grace for someone who had just nearly been barbecued by a Titan.

“You’ve made a mistake coming here,” Hyperion rumbled, his expression twisting, twin orbs of sunlight narrowing as the heat around him bubbled and boiled the water. Percy took the respite to gather more around him, silently moving into a better position. The air hissed in fury as the Titan’s flames wreathed around his sword, Celestial Bronze glowing as brightly as the day it had come out of the forge. “Your parasite pantheon will not save you.”

“No,” the goddess (_what else would she be?_) spoke, her dark complexion unreadable. “I don’t think I did.”

“Then _die._”

Hyperion moved with unmatched speed as his sword screamed through the air, only narrowly missing removing the woman’s head from her shoulders like a golf ball from a tee. The stranger was forced back as she danced around his assault, but it gave him enough of an opening to move in. A wall of water slammed into the Titan who sputtered and growled as his flames dimmed and only narrowly managed to get his sword up in time to block Percy’s.

The woman moved in from the back, but Hyperion was no fool.

With a single shrug of his immense strength, Percy found himself thrown back and on the back foot. Not enough for the Titan to take press forward, but enough that he casually twisted around to defect the woman's twin daggers. Firelight shined in her cat-like eyes as she danced out of range, Hyperion's flaming blade thrashing through the air with abandon.

The water around them twisted and thrashed as he tried to bring the Titan beneath the surface, to force him into a battle he couldn’t win, but he was having none of it. With a wordless snarl, the Titan's massive hand wrapped around his wrist, hot enough that even through the Curse he could feel the blistering heat that would have surely killed him outright without it. He could see the way the Titan was shifting, the direction he would be thrown in by his immense strength.

Perfectly positioned for the horde of monsters to descend on him and try to rip him apart.

_BANG!_

The crack of gunfire roared in his ears like thunder.

For a split second, he caught sight of the projectiles the moment before they impact against Hyperion’s armored skull.

Though _impacted_ might have been a bit of a misnomer.

The Titan blinked as the melted remains of the ammunition trickled down his armor. His head turned towards the source of the attack, and Percy couldn’t help but join him. Ice materialized in his veins, but it had nothing to do with the fact that Hyperion had managed to push him so close to the edge of the reservoir.

It had everything to do with the fact that his mother was within line of sight of a Titan.

Terror coiled in his gut as Mom chambered another round into her shotgun, seemingly uncaring of the blisters and sunburns forming on her skin in such (relatively) close proximity to Hyperion’s flames. Said Titan’s gaze narrowed in what he could only describe as a mixture of anger and amusement. “Did you just _shoot_ me, mortal?”

“Yes,” came her reply, unshaken despite facing certain death. Instead, she hefted the shotgun up once more and took aim. “And I’m about to do it again.”

“Then di—AUGH!”

Percy didn’t even let the Titan _think_ about finishing that threat.

Riptide swung down with a snarl on his lips, renting a tear through the deity’s impressive armor, the shriek of shattering metal roaring in his ears. His hand (_now free from Hyperion’s grip_) slammed against the Titan’s face, and Percy felt no small amount of satisfaction as something small flew past his field of vision as it exploded out from Hyperion’s mouth.

Words and threats were pouring out from his flaming throat, about all the horrible things he would do to him and his friends. Percy let it wash over him as he continued his assault, not allowing his opponent to have one iota of space to maneuver, to change tactics or disengage. Flames wrapped around him, trying to find his weak spot, but all it took was a thought to have the water rise and rebuff them.

Then a golden dagger materialized in the Titan’s throat.

Percy blinked, having been so focused on Hyperion that he had honestly forgotten about his new friend. From the expression of mounting panic that was crossing said Titan’s face, he had made the same mistake as well.

Golden ichor poured out his throat as he clawed at it, dropping his blade as he tried to throw the offending goddess off his back. The woman narrowly avoided being caught in his grip, leaping back and giving Percy the room he needed to act. Hyperion was screaming despite the new hole adoring his esophagus, so enraged that he didn’t even seem to notice the tendrils of water rising from the surface, looming over him like monoliths.

By the time he did, it was already too late.

_Thousands_ of gallons of water descended on the Titan in a single massive deluge, knocking him from his footing and forcible plunging him into the depths of the reservoir. Percy could hear someone calling out to him, telling him they had a trap set – but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Hyperion had threatened _Mom_.

The young demigod dived underneath the surface, allowing the power of his father’s domain to coil around him, to give him strength. He could feel his weariness wash off him as new strength found its way into his limps. He may be invincible in all but one spot, but he was still mortal, still exhaustible.

That wasn’t an issue here.

Hyperion’s form blazed in the water with such heat that the liquid around him didn’t so much boil as it ceased to exist. A single pocket of air was all that was keeping him from being crushed underneath the weight of the entire reservoir. The flames that wrapped around his body burned so brightly that Percy wouldn’t have been surprised if he was visible from Olympus itself.

He. Didn’t. _Care_.

Percy torpedoed towards the Titan with all the speed that he could muster, willing the water around him to push him faster, fast enough the world around him was naught than a blur. The Titan’s gaze twisted up towards him just in time to catch sight of a nigh-invulnerable fist smashing into his face.

The crack rippled through the water like a pair of freight trains colliding.

Hyperion screamed as his head crashed against the concrete bottom, cracks the size of his arm radiating out from the point of impact. Percy could faintly feel the Titan’s panicked blows bounce off his skin, little more than irritants. He gave him no quarter, no respite, ripping into him with Riptide and fist alike, tearing his impressive armor into little more than scrap. The water around them swirled, crushing against him and refusing to allow Hyperion a moment to recover.

The flames that still engulfed his body were starting to falter underneath the onslaught. What had once been a roaring bonfire was now barely holding onto the embers of scattered ash. Though the world around him could have been burning down and he still wouldn’t have cared. There wasn’t a single thought going through his mind other than making sure that Hyperion didn’t crawl his way back to the surface.

Back to where Mom was.

Someone was screaming.

It might have been him.

\----

The city seemed to hold its breath.

Carter couldn’t help but gulp at the horde of monsters (_things that belonged in nightmares_) standing at the edge of the reservoir, baying and howling curses and threats, but making no move to strike anyone down. Bast had taken position between them, shielding them in case they chose to strike, and the orange shirted teens were moving alongside green-skinned women and goat-legged men.

They seemed to ignore their small group, focusing their full attention on the reservoir.

“Do you think he’s okay?” He just barely managed to hear Sadie whisper.

“…I don’t know,” was all he could offer.

Percy had always had this quiet confidence about him that had always made Carter both envious and impressed, but he had never imagined him capable of something like that. He had gone up against that flaming monstrosity with nothing more than a sword and some armor and had managed to hold his own. Percy had shrugged off blows that looked as though they could have crumpled cars in two without more than a flinch.

Now they were waiting to see if he could win.

Carter’s breath hitched as something rose out from the depths of the murky water. His heart soared as Percy pulled himself up from beneath the surface without so much as a drop on him. A chill of fear traveled down his spine at the murderous expression etched into his features. Carter had never witnessed Percy when he was angry, he just never seemed to get angry.

But now he had, and he wished he hadn’t.

It was like staring into the heart of a hurricane, remorseless and unbound by thing resembling logic or reason. Only a cold determination to smash aside anything that stood in its path and bring low all who defied it. Sadie whimpered a little despite herself, and he could even feel his father tense a little. Fortunately for them, it was the line of monsters that received the full brunt of that glare, more than one turning tail in that instant.

Then Percy raised one of his hands, and Carter saw what was laden in it.

A Greek-style helm, the kind that he had seen in museums.

Though this one looked like it had been run over by a tank.

A single chuck from Percy was all it took to send it flying at the monsters, landing in front of them with a clank that echoed across the silent battlefield. The monsters took one look at the helm and turned their gaze back towards Percy, who if anything looked even angrier.

“DOES ANYONE ELSE WANT TO TRY?!”

The _roar_ that erupted from his throat was so unlike him Carter had to wonder if this was really Percy. The friend he had come to know over the weeks would have never made threats like that, would have never raised his voice at him or anyone he knew. Then again, the whole 'monsters are real thing' showed that there were sides of him that he hadn’t known about at all.

The monsters scattered like leaves against the winds.

He was almost tempted to join them.

But then Percy turned around, his gaze locking with Sally’s…

…and the tension melted away just like that.

The weight and pressure that had been pushing down on him, whispering him to run away from the danger vanished in an instant. Relief struck him so hard that he found himself short of breath, and from the waxy paleness of Sadie's face, she had felt the same way. Dad looked fine, but even his resolute control couldn't hide a slight twitch.

“Come,” their father intoned as he began to march towards Percy, who was gently hugging his mother, mindful of the burns and blisters that now covered her skin. As they drew in closer, Carter found himself surprised at just how relieved Percy looked. He had just gone face to face with a monster and had scared off a whole army of them. He might have expected pride and boasting from someone else.

Yet the older teen seemed content to check on his mother, even as she seemingly tried to wave him off.

“…fine, Percy.”

“If I hadn’t stopped him quickly enough…” Percy’s voice trailed off, a hollow and haunted expression crossing his face as that particular scenario no doubt flashed through his mind. Carter tried to think of what would happen if Dad or Sadie died because of something that he had gotten them involved in.

He…he didn’t think he would’ve reacted much better than Percy.

“…you shouldn’t be here,” Percy managed to get out as they gathered closer. Bast stood a few feet away, her gaze flickering towards the direction the monsters had retreated from. Close enough to intervene if needed, but far enough to let them have a bit of privacy. “How are you even awake?”

“That would be my doing,” Dad said, and Carter shivered as Percy’s gaze swung towards him. There was something searching in those eyes, as though he was trying to peel back layers of a magician’s illusion to see how the trick worked. “I was able to cast a protective spell over us and keep the effects of this spell from influencing us.”

“…I should probably be asking how you could cast spells, but right now there’s too much going on for me to care. Can you keep Mom safe?”

“Percy—”

“_Mom_,” came the strangled reply.

“Anyone who wishes to harm her must go through me,” Dad said with a tone that he had only ever heard a few times before, usually during emergencies. Less a reassurance to calm everyone down and more a statement of fact. This was no idle boast that he was making, but rather him telling the rest of the world that he would stand against them, regardless of what they brought against him.

It was a little hard to tell with how red her skin was, but he was pretty sure Sally was blushing.

“And anyone who wishes to harm him, or his kittens must go through me," Bast offered with a smile that sent shivers down his spine. As scary as Percy had been, there was something bone-chilling about how in control the woman was. Percy turned towards her, blinking in surprise.

“…sorry, who are you?”

“Bast, Goddess of Cats,” she offered with a slight nod of her head. Not of submission, but of respect, an acknowledgment of one's capabilities. “You did well against Hyperion, far better than I would have expected a mere demigod. I can’t say I entirely approve, but I suppose you’re better than some of the alternatives.”

Percy stared, "…well, it's not the worst endorsement I’ve ever gotten from a god.”

“Percy!”

Carter turned to see Annabeth and one of the goat-legged people jogging towards them. The blonde’s gaze glinted as it swept over all of them, taking everything in with practiced ease. It lingered over Bast, who gave her a small smile that bordered on smirk in return. Carter didn’t like the way her eyes narrowed, though salvation from her piercing gaze came in the form of an echoing roar.

All heads turned towards one of the bridges, monsters and who knew what else gathering even as more orange shirted teens moved to oppose them.

Carter felt his throat turn dry.

How many of them were there?

“Percy…what is this?”

Carter watched with just a hint of trepidation as the older teen’s attention turned back towards them. He could practically see the gears turning in his head, his lips pursing in thought. His hand gently gripped that of Sally’s while still being mindful of her burns. A small smile spread across his face as he turned back to Annabeth.

“They’re family.”


End file.
